Foxy Lady II, a scallop fishing vessel operated by a crew from Deer Isle, went missing off the coast of Massachusetts in December 2012.

By James Niedzinski, Gloucester Daily Times

Posted Feb. 18, 2013, at 5:46 a.m.

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Two months after the Gloucester-based scalloping boat Foxy Lady II and its crew of two were lost at sea, the captain’s father says he still has questions about what may have happened, and how the vessel could have gone down without any signal from its own electronic emergency beacon.

Wallace Gray I — whose son, Capt. Wallace “Chubby” Gray II, 26, and crew member Wayne Young, 50, went down with the vessel — said he still has no answers as to why the Foxy Lady II’s emergency position indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB, did not activate, as Coast Guard officials have said.

The vessel monitoring system, which emits radio signals used primarily for NOAA and Coast Guard law enforcement tracking purposes, indicated the boat was 15 miles north of Provincetown on the night of Dec. 15.

While Gray said dealing with different government agencies at a time of loss is stressful, the Coast Guard has done a “wonderful job” and has been very forthcoming. But Gray said he’s still expecting some explanation as to why the EPIRB did not activate, and was still waiting for an audio report regarding the sinking.

The elder Gray’s comments come now as organizers are planning a memorial service for the Foxy Lady II’s crew members, to be held at 2 p.m. next Sunday at the Island Community Center in Stonington, Maine.

Angela Sanfillipo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives’ Association, said association members plan on making the trip up to Maine to offer condolences to friends and family members, and the invitation is open for others within the Gloucester community to join in as well. The association has set up a memorial fund to benefit relatives of the crew members; donations for the Foxy Lady II Fund may be sent in care of BankGloucester, 160 Main St., Gloucester 01930.

The scalloping vessel left Gloucester for a day trip in on Dec. 15, but it was reported overdue on Dec. 17 through a call from “Chubby” Gray’s girlfriend.

An unopened rescue pod from the Foxy Lady washed ashore in the marshes of Saugus on Dec. 18, about the time the Coast Guard called off the search and rescue operation in gale-force conditions. The search was resumed and eventually covered approximately 2,800 square miles of Massachusetts Bay.